


The Smallest Sunstrider

by lostsoul512



Category: Warcraft - All Media Types, World of Warcraft
Genre: (a lot of child fluff), Brotherly Bonding, Child Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-18
Updated: 2017-08-18
Packaged: 2018-12-16 18:26:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11834478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostsoul512/pseuds/lostsoul512
Summary: Kael is too young for nightmares like these.





	The Smallest Sunstrider

**Author's Note:**

  * For [what_the_fel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/what_the_fel/gifts).



> Spontaneous gift for what_the_fel because I was feeling extra sweet <33 
> 
> Reads as a standalone, but does technically exist within the same realm as her beautiful work of art, Too Close to the Sun.

"That hurts!" 

The shrill cry bounced off the walls of the long corridor as Prince Kael'thas Sunstrider struggled against the hold on his wrist. 

His efforts were in vain, it seemed; with each tug of resistance Eldin only tightened his grip, until he was all but dragging the young child along after him. "Shut up," he snapped, summoning all the command that a nine year old could muster- which wasn't much, even if he was a prince. "Don't be such a ba-"

The words were drowned out by a cry of his own as he felt the sudden sharpness of Karl's teeth sinking into the skin of his forearm, forcing him to loosen his grip. With a scowl much too pointed for someone who barely stood at three and a half feet, the youngest Sunstrider turned on his heel and took off running back the way from which they'd just come. 

Shaking off the sting, Eldin regained his footing and sprinted after him. "Kael, you brat, get back here- I'm going to kill you-" He wailed, shoving against the wall as he rounded a corner, disregarding the tapestry that slipped from its holding as he did. 

Kael was fast, but his size alone made it impossible to outrun his brother; Eldin caught him standing on his tiptoes before an ornately carved pair of double doors, desperately wiggling the handles like if he just shook them around enough times they would magically unlock. The instant he was within reach, Eldin lunged at him, sending the both of them sprawling to the floor. 

"I'm going to tear your hair out!" Eldin hissed, pinning the smaller prince under his weight and curling a fistful of his matted gold tresses around his fingers. 

Kael's scream was ear-piercing, no doubt reaching even the farthest corners of the palace. "No! No- Eldin, stop- mother! Mother, help-"

"What's going on?"

Both boys went still at the sudden intrusion, a low voice sending both of them into silence as a tall shadow fell over them and Nallorath Sunstrider stared down at them. 

The youngest prince used the moment of temporary distraction to free himself, shaking Eldin off and scrambling to his feet so he could throw himself against his eldest brother. "Eldin said he was going to tear out my hair," he whimpered, clutching to his robes and peering up through tear-soaked lashes. 

"Only after he bit me!" Eldin retorted, rising to his feet as well and tugging his clothes back into place.

"He was tugging on my arm!" Kael released his grip only long enough to hold it up for Nallorath to see- though the redness left behind had already faded away, leaving no sign of the alleged crime. "He was, Nall, he really was-" 

Eldin scoffed, crossing his own arms over his chest and glaring at the both of them. "I was trying to take him to bed-" 

"I don't want to go to bed! I want to see my mother-" 

"Enough," Nallorath interrupted, holding up a hand to silence them both once again, summoning all of the command that the crown prince of Quel’thalas could muster. "Eldin, stop trying to hurt your brother. Kael, it's past your bedtime." 

The blonde stuck his bottom lip out in an exaggerated pout, giving a few exaggerated tugs at Nallorath's clothes. "I'm not tired," he insisted. "Princes don't have to have bedtimes." 

Nallorath was unimpressed, his stern expression unwavering. "Princes don't have privileges unless they act like princes.” 

Though it should have been impossible, Kael managed to rearrange his features into even more of a pout. "I want to see my mother," he repeated, and for the slightest of seconds the resolve to which he’d so desperately been clinging wavered- his bottom lip quivered and his hands trembled, but he tangled them deeper into the fabric of Nallorath’s clothes to try and hide the shaking. Nallorath must have noticed anyway, because within the span of a breath he’d bent down enough to scoop the child up into his arms, balancing him on his hip “I didnt get to say goodnight-” 

Eldin’s scowl faltered too, but he was far quicker to reclaim his composure. “I told you already, Father says we’re supposed to let her rest.” 

“You cant tell me what to do,” Kael huffed, turning away from Nallorath to wrinkle his nose in the older blonde’s direction. “You’re not even a real prince- I heard a servant say you’re a basta-” 

“Kael’thas.” Nallorath’s voice was sharp and swift, a warning in his that resonated in the small boy and sent a chill darting up his spine. “Apologize to your brother now.” 

Kael had suddenly become very fascinated with a loose string on the shoulder of Nallorath’s robes, his eyes going crossed as he tugged it between his fingers. “Sorry,” he mumbled, the monotonous apology of a child doing as he was told without any true comprehension of his actions.

Eldin, on the other hand, was doing a perfect job of demonstrating how to effectively burn a hole into the floor by using his gaze as a substitute for any sort of fire spell. He was hardly a stranger to what people said about him; he had a far greater understanding of parentage than any child ought to, and he understood well what it was to be outcast because of it, even if he didnt fully understand the logistics- the king and his mother had been wed prior to Kael’thas’ birth, and somehow that meant he got to be a ‘real’ prince, and Eldin got to stay the Sunstrider bastard whether he was considered to be legitimate in marriage or not. 

“Kael’thas,” the eldest Sunstrider repeated, somehow managing to make his voice even firmer than before as he jostled the boy in his hold. “That is a terribly cruel thing to say. Promise you wont do it again.” 

The blonde peered up at him with eyes as wide and blue as the Great Sea. “I didnt really know what it meant.” 

“Even less of a reason to use it then, hm?” Nallorath heaved a sigh- exhaustion was quick to set in whenever he found himself in the company of his brothers simultaneously; he had several centuries on the both of them. “Come on,” he said then, adjusting his hold on the littlest prince. “Let’s get the two of you off to bed.” 

Kael had apparently decided he was no longer so opposed to this idea; he had already nestled in against Nallorath’s shoulder, his eyes struggling to keep themselves open. When Nallorath stole a glance at Eldin, he was doing his best to stifle a yawn, tugging the messy strands of his own golden hair over his face to try and conceal it. 

It didnt take long to reach their quarters; their rooms were side by side- a consideration for the nannies that had been charged with caring for them- and far too large for children of their age. 

“Will I get to see Mother in the morning?” Kael asked, lifting his head with what appeared to be a great amount of effort. “I want to take her breakfast.” 

“Perhaps,” Nallorath replied, keeping his tone as hopeful as possible- a difficult task in such a hopeless situation. “You’ll want to be well rested for her if you do.”

With a sudden renewed energy and eagerness, Kael nodded quickly, but in a matter of seconds he had shifted to a sullen pout again. His fingers wound their way into the strands of Nallorath’s pale yellow hair, using the grip to tug his ear close enough that he could whisper. 

Eldin tried to glare up at him, but the exhaustion that had etched into his features made him look more sullen than seething. Either way it shifted to surprise when Nallorath nodded, setting down the smallest Sunstrider, nudging him as he said, “you're going to have to ask him yourself.” 

Kael shuffled forward a few steps, tugging at his sleeves and bowing his head. When he spoke, all of his words came spilling out at once. “I'm sorry I was mean to you even though you tried to tear out my hair can I please sleep with you so I don't have any nightmares please?” 

Eldin exhaled a slow sigh that was closer to a groan, but he gave a single, short nod anyway. 

With a beaming grin, Kael turned back to Nallorath. "Will you tell us a bedtime story?"

Nallorath tilted his head to the side, making a great show of considering the request, one that had the younger prince all but bouncing in anticipation. “I suppose,” he said at last, drawing the word out almost as long as he'd drawn out the suspense of his supposed decision making. “Do you know the one about why we’re called the Sunstriders?” He asked, taking Kael’s hand in his own when the child started to yank at his sleeve once again. 

The blonde nodded eagerly. “Because of the Kalla...Kally...um…” 

“Kaldorei.”

“Yeah! The Kallydori were mean. I already know that story, Nall. I want a different one. The one about Dathymar and the boats.” 

The crown prince smiled, giving him a nod of his own. “Alright,” he agreed. “But only if you hurry and get yourself into bed.” 

It was all the instruction Kael needed; turning on his heel, he bolted into the room, pausing only long enough to dig his nails into Eldin’s wrist and yank him along after him. 

“That hurts!” Eldin hissed, shaking him off. 

“Told you so,” Kael retorted, throwing a glance over his shoulder so he could stick his tongue out at the older boy. “Hurry up, Eldin, you’re so slow-” 

The smallest Sunstrider wasted no time demonstrating just how quickly he could get himself tucked into bed, the blankets pulled up to his chin and his golden hair splayed messily around him- Eldin had to blow it out of his face three times before he finally just turned his back and pretended to be asleep. 

“Tell us the story now!” Kael pleaded, when at last they’d settled against the silken sheets. 

Nallorath came to kneel beside the bed, flashing a fond smile at both children. “Well,” he began, his tone shifting from that of a commanding crown prince to the enthusiastic voice of a storyteller. “Do you know why Dath’Remar and his companions sailed east, after they were exiled?” 

“‘Cause of the sun!” Kael answered happily, tugging the blankets tighter around him- and effectively stealing them all away from Eldin.

Nallorath dipped his chin in affirmation. “They followed the sun all the way here, all the way across the Great Sea, and they found the most magical spot they could, and they built Quel’Thalas right on top of it. And-” 

The eldest prince silenced himself when he realized that Kael’s eyes had drifted shut, his chest rising and falling in steady movements, his fingers curled around the edges of the blankets. Carefully, slowly, he rose to his feet and retraced his steps towards the door, leaving the smallest Sunstrider to dream of excitement and adventure instead of terrible nightmares, where he could be as brave as Dath’Remar had been, and lead the elves to greatness and glory in a faraway land, instead of being haunted by ghosts and demons.


End file.
